Examining the characteristics, costs and impacts of joint-use agreements

The Foundation's program, Public Health Law Research: Making the Case for Laws That Improve Health, was designed to build the evidence for public health law and policy, translate research findings into practical tools to increase the support for and use of law by policy makers and public health practitioners, and to translate findings to other fields and venues to improve and protect health.This study will enumerate the costs, implementation barriers, facilitators, and the administrative and financial burden that joint-use agreements (JUAs) may impose on schools that in turn can impact children's access to recreational activity. The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, in collaboration with ChangeLab Solutions will conduct a legal and economic analysis of JUAs in Los Angeles County, specifically to: (1) categorize the main characteristics of these agreements, and (2) assess the net costs and intended as well as unintended consequences of implementing these agreements from the schools' perspective. Study findings shall serve as a practical framework for designing future economic analyses and for informing further development of sustainable JUAs. Understanding the consequences and main drivers of JUAs is crucial to promoting their use and improving the terms of future agreements to balance risks between schools and communities. Deliverables include a final report, a toolkit, at least two peer-review publications and two policy briefs/papers.